help--collections calling my work!!

Hi there,
I started school full-time back in 2008 in BC, and was able to do so on student loans.  A couple years in and I was suffering from very bad depression and was even hospitalized. I ended up not finishing a semester and my loans for that semester were deemed an overaward. I had to get my doctor to fill out forms for me supporting that I had a medical issue which caused this late withdrawal, and was essentially forgiven but told that if it happened again there would be no third chances and my debt would go into immediate repayment. Well, the following year, I was reacting badly to my antidepressants and had to go off them, had a falling out with my roommate and promptly ended up having to move very short notice and was so broke at the time with no where to go and no one to help me, that I had no choice but to drop school to work full-time to scrape enough together to pay deposits and rent somewhere new. I knew when this happened I'd be pretty much screwed with student loans but my only other choice was homelessness. 

My loans went into immediate repayment and like they warned me, there was no fixing it this time. That was approx 2 years ago now. I applied for repayment assistance but kept getting denied. "You forgot to sign X" they would say, "We need the past SIX months pay stubs [not the 3 they originally requested]", "I know you sent the extra three months pay stubs but we need the original three again", "You application has now expired, start over"......just something, over and over. 

I was working like crazy but my income still wasn't enough to cover my living expenses, let alone make student loan payments. Meanwhile, I'm not quite halfway through a four year degree, so I'm saving up every last extra penny to afford one course a semester at least.

Anyway, I'm already in a lot of debt, in general on top of this, so my phone never stops ringing. I'm at the point where I don't answer it anymore unless I for sure know who's calling me. I know it's bad, but I just disconnected altogether. I was getting so stressed. I got overwhelmed and fed up with continually trying to jump through the federal portion of my student loan's hoops. Atleast my provincial loans accepted my applications for repayment assistance. I just stopped trying with the federal.

Well, now I'm in collections with Revenue Canada. My interest alone is a couple grand. They're telling me that I can't get back into the jurisdiction of Canada Student Loans and be able to apply for repayment assistance until I pay all my interest off. I can do this is one lump sum or make monthly payments towards it. Here's the thing though. A) There is NO way I can afford to pay it one lump sum!!! and B) The most I could possibly afford if I really scrimped is $200/month, but my interest is building at a rate of $164/month...do the math, I wouldn't have the total interest paid off for YEARS! 

So I'm effed basically. Logically, why would I want to pay $200/month towards my interest when $164 of it will be cancelled out by that month's interest with only 36 bucks going towards the rest, when I could be doing what I want to do with that extra 200 dollars--- GO TO SCHOOL! PUT IT TOWARDS TUITION! So that maybe if I'm lucky one day I'll have a finished degree and make an income that maybe will afford me the opportunity to pay off my debts. This is madness! 

Can't afford the lump sum, can't REALLY pay monthly because it feels like just throwing decent tuition money away considering it's not REALLY going to get me anywhere with that debt except maybe keep them from calling..........!!! 

Now they're calling my work and threatening to garnish my wages. I make maybe a grand a month, sometimes less. I barely make it as it is. I haven't even been able to afford school for two semesters... Really depressed guys, help!

Sorry no one has replied here.  No you're not screwed, we'll help here if we can.  There was a flurry of activity over the data loss at HRSDC and sometimes we miss a post or it slips down the 'new post' list quickly.

First of all, they aren't supposed to be calling you at work.  That's against the collections laws. Document the date and time of calls and call the Consumer Protection Branch in BC.    http://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/consumers-debt-collection/how-to-make-a-complaint/forms   There's a form there to request that they only contact you in writing.   You need to report the calls to work, and this should probably be reported to the CRA as well because Tricura is not following the collections laws.   The CRA is usually more helpful if you can demonstrate hardship, but it seems that Tricura is being more aggressive than mandated under CRA. 

The thing is, you are willing to pay, and are trying to reasonably work something out which is admirable and should be recognized.  Tricura just wants their commission.  They wont be helpful. 

If you are thinking of more school make sure you contact your financial aid office at the school you'll be attending to apply for bursaries and grants.  Since you aren't eligible for student loans, that might make you eligible for bursaries and grants... again, talk to your financial aid office about getting some advice/help.

If your provincial repayment assistance was accepted, it should have been accepted by the feds.... Maybe call the NSLSC and try to have this issue escalated. Tricura wont help because they want their commission.  Sounds like the federal repayment assistance issue was messed up. 

You might even try appealing to your Federal MP over this...

Anyone else have some further suggestions?